Karen McGrath
1957-2011|Author, Mother and Woman of Faith
Carefree, witty, and deeply empathetic, Karen possessed a warmth that made people feel truly seen and heard. Her unwavering faith in God and Jesus guided her throughout her life. She studied theology and ministry at Brown University and spoke openly with others about the faith that sustained her.
She had dreamed of becoming a published author since she was sixteen. Although life led her away from that dream for many years, she never entirely let it go. Her debut novel, Primordial Sun: The Heart of the Amazon, united her love of storytelling with her beliefs. Like the woman who wrote it, her work placed profound emotion at its heart.
Karen is survived by her husband, Paul McGrath, and her three children, Erica Leman, Rocky McGrath and Elizabeth "Ellie" McGrath. Homeschooling her kids until the end of her life, all three children own their own businesses with success and integrity; from Wedding Photography, Music Production, and of course, Publishing.
Karen's personal and professional Facebook pages are still active and maintained by her husband Paul McGrath. Friends and family continue to post to her wall even 15 years later.
Style and Works
In Loving Memory of Karen
Some people leave behind books, others leave behind legacies.
Karen believed fiercely in the power of listening to another person's story. It started in a small townhouse in Boston, where she invited her daughter to write with her--even if it was technically child-illegal to be allowed up so late--that invitation changed that child forever.
My mom was the first person to believe in my stories. Long before Little Ellie's Oddities existed, she was reading rough drafts and listened to my chaotic and wild stories. She always gave her attention patiently, even if once in a while she read something and had to change it--and it is a feature, not a side-effect--of becoming an editor.
She dreamed of publishing a book of her own and one day, she released her debut novel in 2010. She passed away on July 16, 2011, but her work lives on, not just in a novel, but in the daughter she listened to.
Ever since then, every story has been something fantastic for me to discover, and I devoured book after book. I realized that some of the best stories still sit in a file on a computer, never opened--because it felt impossible to ask someone to listen.
So here I am--and I am dying to listen; just as my mother did for me.
Thank you, Mum.
2028
Primordial Sun: The Heart of the Amazon
A young lawyer discovers her parents' death might not have been entirely... by accident. And on top of it, the enemy might be more spiritual than one thinks.
Cancer first entered our lives when I was three years old. At that age, I didn't understand diagnoses or treatment plans, I only knew that sometimes days were skipped or we had to spend our time in an overwhelming waiting room that upgraded itself to waterfalls and standing stone.
Still, she always enjoyed my creativity,
I believed her because she wanted me to remember the living room couches, working through math lessons, while just upstairs I could hear her becoming sick from treatment. We would stop for a moment, listen, and then continue with our lesson. Those moments felt like they needed to be respected, and she would walk down the stairs, sometimes with an encouraging statement and sometimes trudging through the pain--one thing was always true; she never wanted me to stop being a kid.
I realize what an extraordinary gift that was the older I get.
She fought cancer many times over the course of my childhood. Yet when I remember those years, I don't remember a woman defined by illness. I remember a mother who chose, every single day, to give her daughter as normal a childhood as she possibly could.
